Who Is Joel Richardson, Beck's End Times Prophet?

Author Joel Richardson has a long history of antagonism toward Islam, having written in his book The Islamic Antichrist that Islam will be the "primary vehicle" "used by Satan to fulfill the prophecies of the Bible." He has also agreed with the Florida pastor who planned to burn Qurans that "Islam is of the devil" and written a column headlined "What Obama and the Antichrist have in common."

Beck's Media Empire Increasingly Promoting Richardson

Richardson Pens Articles For Beck Website, Appears In Beck-Produced Video. In addition to his scheduled appearance on the February 17 Glenn Beck -- where, according to a WorldNetDaily report, he was to discuss "Islam's Mahdi, the Antichrist, the Middle East and Bible prophecy" -- Richardson has also benefited from promotion by other segments of Beck's media empire:

In the past two weeks, Beck's website The Blaze has published columns by Richardson on the "History of the Caliphate" [TheBlaze.com, 2/6/11] and "The Emerging Leftist-Islamist Revolutionary Alliance." [TheBlaze.com, 2/8/11]

Richardson appears in Rumors of War, a video released January 24 about "the true threat level a nuclear Iran poses to the United States and the Israel." It was produced by Beck's company Mercury Radio Arts and is available only to Insider Extreme subscribers on Beck's website.

Richardson Has Praised Beck's Attacks On Social Justice. Richardson wrote in a post on his blog: "I am truly grateful to TV and radio host Glenn Beck for highlighting the Marxist foundations of the 'social justice' movement. There is a vast difference between 'social justice' and genuine Biblical justice. Christians that swallow this poison pill are quickly transformed into little socialists for Jesus." [Joel's Trumpet, 7/8/10]

Richardson In 2009: "Beck Needs To Have Me On Sometime." Richardson wrote in a 2009 blog post: "Beck needs to have me on sometime. He gets a lot of his info wrong. Ayatollah Khomeini never banned 'Twelvers', as he himself was one. He banned the Hojjatieh of which Ahmadinejad is arguably a member of and which Mesbah Yazdi below is as well." [Joel's Trumpet, 10/1/09]

Richardson: Islam Is The "Vehicle" Of Satan

Richardson Posits That Muslim Mahdi Will Be The Antichrist. In his book The Islamic Antichrist [WND Books, 2009], Richardson "makes the case that the biblical Antichrist is one and the same as the Quran's Muslim Mahdi." [WorldNetDaily, 8/3/09]. He also claims that Islam is "the primary vehicle that will be used by Satan to fulfill the prophecies of the Bible about the future political/religious/military system of the Antichrist." From The Islamic Antichrist:

So maybe you now agree that it is important to become informed regarding Islam, but you may wonder why it is important to understand Islamic eschatology specifically. That's a good question. Please think through some of these points carefully: The Bible makes it clear that the Devil's primary plan for the last days has been, for the past few thousand years, to raise up two men, the Antichrist and the False Prophet, as his primary instruments to deceive the inhabitants of the earth. How do you suppose that Satan has planned to include the world's 1.5 billion Muslims in his grand end-time deception? Did Satan fail to foresee and strategize regarding the global spread of Islam? Or has Satan included the Muslims of the world in his end-time strategy? Will Islam, the world's third monotheistic religion, also undergo the persecution of Satan along with Christians and Jews as they all resist the Antichrist together? Or will Islam -- the religion that prides itself on resisting any form of idolatry -- simply submit to a demonic and false religious leader without putting up any real fight? For years, I questioned the Lord about these issues. In time, as my knowledge of Islam deepened, the answers to my questions became very clear. This book is my attempt to share with you what I have learned. I understand that this may sound like a strong statement to make, but I believe that the information presented in this book will establish the fact that Islam is indeed the primary vehicle that will be used by Satan to fulfill the prophecies of the Bible about the future political/religious/military system of the Antichrist that will overwhelm the entire world just prior to the second coming of Jesus Christ. [The Islamic Antichrist, Pages 11-12 (italics in original)]

Richardson Agreed With Pastor Who Planned To Burn Qurans That "Islam Is Of The Devil"

Richardson: "One Cannot Be A Christian And Also Believe That Islam Is Not Evil." Discussing Terry Jones, the Florida pastor who last year announced plans to hold a "Burn A Quran Day," and then changed his mind in the face of widespread condemnation, Richardson wrote at WorldNetDaily:

I fully agree with Pastor Terry Jones regarding the title of his book, "Islam is of the Devil." There's no question about it. In fact, I would say that if one is a true Christian and genuinely informed regarding Islam, there is no other option. One cannot be a Christian and also believe that Islam is not evil.

According to the religion of Islam, when Jesus returns, He comes back to destroy every cross throughout the earth and abolish Christianity as a religion. In case this is new information, the actual Islamic tradition reads as follows:

The Prophet Muhammad said: Jesus will descend (to the earth) ... He will break the cross, kill swine, and abolish jizyah (poll-tax for non-Muslims). Allah will perish all religions except Islam.

- Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 37, Number 4310, Narrated by Abu Hurayrah: see also Sahih Bukhari Volume 3, Book 43, Number 656

So unless you are the kind of Christian who thinks the destruction of crosses and the "perishing" of Christianity is a good thing, what else can you believe? Islam is of the devil. [WorldNetDaily, 9/11/10]

Richardson: "While Muslims Believe That Jesus Will Return As A Muslim To Destroy Christianity, I Believe That He Will Return As A Jew To Destroy Islam." From the same WorldNetDaily column:

And as we all know, Islam derives the majority of its demonic ideas from a book called the Quran. So Pastor Jones is completely correct when he says that the Quran is an evil book.

Nevertheless, I also want to state that I am utterly opposed to the planned burning of Qurans.

Why?

The answer is because this job belongs to Jesus alone. While Muslims believe that Jesus will return as a Muslim to destroy Christianity, I believe that he will return as a Jew to destroy Islam. [WorldNetDaily, 9/11/10]

Richardson Later Conceded Many Muslims Reject "Imperialistic And Violent Form Of Islam." In a later column, Richardson walked back his attacks:

While I stand by the theological accuracy of my comments, I will also admit that they were far from balanced. The remainder of the article essentially expressed my belief that when Jesus returns, He will cleanse the earth of all racially motivated hatred and anti-Semitism, and I believe that this will include the Quran. Christians, however, should not take it upon themselves to rid the world of Qurans by burning them. This would be about as effective as those dolts cleaning up the Gulf oil spill with paper towels and sponges (some of which were made from donated human hair!) even as the oil was still bursting forth from the ocean floor. Whether or not my words were at all part of the basis for Pastor Jones' decision not to go forward, I have no idea. But I do nonetheless wish these few months later to issue a few qualifiers.

My reason for saying, "Islam is of the Devil" is because its teachings stand in direct conflict with my Christian faith and confession. But despite Islam's many demonic characteristics, perhaps due to the various Jewish and Christian influences in its early formation, as well as the ever drawing power of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of mankind, Islam yet contains echoes and even some strong threads of righteousness that would be wrong to deny. While Christians may fundamentally disagree with many elements of Islamic doctrine and practice, we can applaud the Muslim commitment to such things as prayer, modesty and an unwillingness to compromise their own beliefs. If only a wider percentage of my Christian brethren were as committed to these things! Beyond this, despite the fact that many devout Muslims embrace an imperialistic and violent form of Islam, there are many other Muslims whose efforts to the contrary deserve our acknowledgment and respect. [WorldNetDaily, 2/4/11]

Richardson Column: "What Obama And The Antichrist Have In Common"

Richardson: "In No Way Do I Believe" Obama Is The Antichrist, But "Populist, Wealth-Distributing" Mahdi "Will Employ Precisely The Same Methods As Obama." Richardson wrote a column for WorldNetDaily headlined "What Obama and the Antichrist have in common." Despite writing that he wanted to "make it very clear that in no way do I believe that President Obama is the Antichrist," Richardson did draw parallels between the two:

Most people who have never even read the Bible have heard about the one Christians most often refer to as the Antichrist. In brief, according to many prophecies throughout the Bible, the Antichrist will be a satanically empowered man who will emerge as a powerful world leader shortly before the return of Jesus Christ. He will first emerge as a man of peace with a populist message and a large and popular following. Eventually, however, in his quest to expand his power base, he will seek to revive a powerful Middle Eastern empire. But even after his military campaigns begin, he will continue to use wealth redistribution as a tool to maintain his followers.

Before I continue, I want to make it very clear that in no way do I believe that President Obama is the Antichrist. For now, he is my president, and despite my deep disagreement with many of his policies, as an American, I pray for his protection and covering and that God would guide both his actions and his decisions.

When I listen to the average Christian express his expectations regarding the coming of the Antichrist, I often feel as though I am listening to something out of a science fiction novel. But will the coming of the Antichrist really be so otherworldly? We have just watched as an entire nation rallied around a populist leader with an observable religious fervor. What we have just observed and are even now watching unfold is but a foreshadow. Another man is coming.

That reminds me of another very fascinating prophetic figure. This man, known as the Mahdi (or rightly guided one), is known little throughout the Western world, but is awaited with an increasing fervency by many of the world's roughly 1.3 billion Muslims. The Mahdi is Islam's primary messiah figure, emphasized more so by the Shi'a but also awaited by the Sunni. Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, chairman of the Islamic Supreme Council of America declares that, "The coming of the Mahdi is established doctrine for both Sunni and Shi'a Muslims, and indeed for all humanity."

Like the biblical Antichrist, the Islamic Mahdi is expected by Muslims to emerge on the world stage at the end of the age in order to revive a vast empire. Muslims believe that the Mahdi will cause Islam to conquer the whole earth, leading to the ultimate victory of Islam over other religions and over unbelief. The numerous parallels that exist between the Antichrist and the Mahdi are shocking, but for the purpose of this article I want to highlight the Islamic expectation regarding their populist wealth-distributing Mahdi.

[...]

We have just watched as a man lacking virtually any proper qualifications rose to become the most powerful man in the world, almost solely on his charisma and his shallow appeal to class envy. Today, throughout the Islamic world, the masses are yearning for and longing for a populist messiah figure known as the Mahdi who, according to their very own prophecies, will employ precisely the same methods as Obama. And as we have also learned, the Bible and the understanding of the early church also clearly warn that a man is soon coming who will also employ these very techniques in his to rise to power. Over half of the American people fell for it this time. When the soon coming imposter messiah arrives, will be any wiser? As the Apostle Paul warned, "Let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober." (1 Thessalonians 5:6) The days we live in demand no less. [WorldNetDaily, 8/5/09]

Richardson Presents Himself As A Prophet

Richardson: "Prophetess" Told My Wife She Will Marry Someone With "Significant Insight Into The End Times" And Who Will "Release New Prophetic Understanding." From an interview on the program It's Supernatural!:

SID ROTH (host): Hello, Sid Roth here. Welcome to my world, where it's naturally supernatural. My guest, Joel Richardson, has such amazing insight into the end times. The prophet Daniel, in the 12th chapter, talks about the end times. Explain what he says.

RICHARDSON: Well, in the conclusion of this incredibly prophetic book, the prophet Daniel made clear -- in fact, it was revealed to him by an angel -- that all of the things revealed to Daniel, the primary message of this entire book, would literally be sealed up until the end times. And he makes this very clear, that when he's speaking about the end times, he's saying the time when the dead, those that sleep in the dust of the earth, are resurrected. This is talking about the end of the age, that at that time, the understanding of this book would be opened up to the church.

ROTH: And I can see how you've been hand-picked literally by God to give revelation of the end time. In fact, you were sitting among 7,000 people. Get this, he's sitting among 7,000 people, and the man that is speaking has a word of knowledge, but he starts out by even saying Joel's name. What did he say?

RICHARDSON: Well, let me just back up a teeny bit and make mention of something else. Just before my wife and I met, there was a prophetess that prayed over my wife and one of the things she said, was she said, "Your husband, you will marry someone that will have significant insight into the end times, and he'll release new prophetic understanding concerning the end times to the church and to the world." And so my wife and I are sitting in this meeting, 7,000 people, large civic center type of situation, in the very back. And before he spoke, he said, "I want to share a prophetic word in order to show that what I want to speak on is from the Lord." He called us out by name, and then he spoke things to us that no man could know. Things that we had been praying about. Things that only we know, that only the Lord, only God could reveal to a man. And that gets your attention.

And then one of the things that he said, was he said that the Lord was gonna bring me into a season of divine revelation, which I knew intuitively was tied into this word about understanding the end times. And of course, I had no interest in the end times -- I'm an incredibly unlikely candidate. My heart has always been to -- I love sharing my Christian faith with Muslims, and I love reaching out to the poor, and I thought if I ever had a ministry, that that's what it would be geared toward. But somehow the Lord has managed to bring together this love for Muslims, as well as this call to speak about the end times, and he's joined those two together. [YouTube, accessed, 2/17/11]

Richardson, Shoebat Have Written Book Together. Richardson has written a book with Walid Shoebat, God's War on Terror: Islam, Prophecy and the Bible [Top Executive Media, 2008]. Richardson has also co-edited a book, Why We Left Islam [WND Books, 2008], that includes an essay by Shoebat among the "shocking and brutally honest stories" in the book purporting to claim that "far from being a 'religion of peace,' Islam is both barbaric and repressive, a nightmare for both those living under it and those confronting it."

Shoebat Has History Of Inflammatory Claims. Among the numerous inflammatory claims Shoebat has made include asserting that Obama is "definitely a Muslim" [The G. Gordon Liddy Show, 9/10/08], suggesting that "the devil" wanted to "appoint somebody connected to Islam in the White House," [YouTube, accessed 2/17/11], and saying that Obama supports abortion "because there's nothing better that Islamists want to do than have Americans kill their own children. So it's not a problem for him" [YouTube, accessed 2/17/11]. Shoebat has also falsely claimed that Imam Feisal Rauf wrote of a "Judenrein" Israel. [WorldNetDaily, 9/3/10; Media Matters, 9/3/10]

Shoebat's Self-Proclaimed Background As A Former Terrorist Has Been Disputed.The Jerusalem Post has highlighted inconsistencies in Shoebat's claim that he was a terrorist and also raised questions about the charity he operates. [The Jerusalem Post, 3/30/08]

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